Chester T. "Catfish" Kelley is running for Congress for one reason: he loves this great country.

But just as the nationally syndicated editorialist Cal Thomas has referred to the United States Congress as a wholly owned subsidiary of the United States Chamber of Congress, Kelley has come to realize that Big Business has taken control of our Government. Both political parties have sold out to Big Business, and we, the people, are no longer in control. Both parties have betrayed the American People. Thus Kelley is running for Congress as an Independent.

When elected to be your Congressman:

1. Kelley will work to make sure our military receives the support they need and deserve before, during, and after their battles;

2. Kelley will work to stop all efforts to create a North American Union (a concept that was considered a conspiracy theory in the 90's and now commonly recognized as fact) beginning with the absolute requirement to secure our borders;

3. He will work to stop the transfer of wealth out of our country caused by the outsourcing of American jobs to foreign countries and our dependence upon foreign oil;

4. Kelley will work to stop the "New Welfare" which is the transfer of wealth from the lower and middle classes to the fatcats of Wall Street who have come to expect multi-billion dollar government bailouts of even their most atrocious fraudulent schemes; and

5. Kelley will demand the IRS answer the simple question, "what is the law that makes the average hard working American worker liable for the income tax?"

During this campaign, Kelley will state the hard facts and ask the hard questions, beginning with the plain and simple fact that both political parties are screwing the American People.

BIO

Kelley is best known as the owner of Crescent Landing Catfish Restaurant where Veteran's Day is celebrated each year with a free catfish dinner for U.S.Veterans. In recognition of this patriotic and civic contribution, November 16, 2005, was proclaimed "Chester T. Kelley Day" in the City of Shreveport by Mayor Keith Hightower. Kelley has served on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Restaurant Association and been President of the Northwest Chapter of the LRA.

Notwithstanding the public perception, Kelley's primary business is as the Vice-President and CFO of Strike Friday, Inc., an Internet publishing company which provides daily, time-sensitive stock market information and also develops and sells Internet software.

He also is a licensed real estate broker and has brokered everything from raw land and residential homes to office buildings and motels.

Kelley is a graduate of LSU in Baton Rouge with a degree in mathematics where he was elected to Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society, Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, and Pi Mu Epsilon, the national mathematics honor society.

At LSU, Kelley was the Cadet Commander of the Air Force ROTC Air Division and the Commander of the Capt. Frank S. Hagan Squadron of the Arnold Air Society, which won all 3 of the Society's major national awards. He subsequently was selected to lead a 4 state area of the Society and was named the Outstanding Area Commander in the nation.

At the dedication ceremony for the T-33 jet aircraft permanently installed on the South Stadium Lawn of LSU's Tiger Stadium, after Gov. McKeithen's preliminary remarks, Kelley was honored to make the dedication speech "in memory of the LSU students who have died in defense of their nation during the jet age". In that speech he noted, "For as long as American jets soar the skies and as long as freedom and democracy are threatened anywhere in the world, this monument will continually be rededicated."

Upon graduation from LSU, Kelley accepted a regular commission as a U.S.Air Force 2nd Lieutenant and went to flight school at Webb AFB in Big Spring, Texas, training in the T-41, and the T-37 and T-38 jet aircraft.

Subsequently, he become a C-130E aircraft commander and spent the remainder of his 5 years of active duty based at Pope AFB, North Carolina, attaining the rank of Captain and serving as President of the Junior Officers Council. During that period, he had 2 European tours of duty and one tour of duty in Vietnam for which he was awarded the Air Medal for combat missions over Vietnam.

Notwithstanding public sentiment at the time, Kelley has always called himself "a proud veteran of the Vietnam War". And for 15 years, leading up to Memorial Day each year, KEEL and KWKH listeners have heard his tribute to the aircrew that died at Khontum the day he arrived in Southeast Asia.

Kelley is a "lifetime" member of both the Lowe-McFarland Post #14 of the American Legion and the J. Nelson Edwards Post #2238 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Kelley was a member of the Shreveport Jaycees and the Cape Fear Jaycees in Fayetteville, North Carolina where he was named the Outstanding First Year Jaycee.

He has served as President and Board Member of the Woodstone Homeowners Association.

Kelley is an active member and lay leader of All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Shreveport where he has served as President once, Vice-President 3 times, and a total of 10 years as a Member of the Board of Directors.

Kelley first joined the Rotary Club of Downtown Shreveport in 1973 and served one year as a Member of their Board of Directors. For the past 12 years, he has been a member of the Rotary Club of West Shreveport and has served as President, Vice-President, and Secretary of that Club. He was selected to be the District Governor of Rotary District 6190 for 2008-09, a position he resigned upon deciding to run for Congress. In 2005 Kelley became a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.

Kelley has lived in Shreveport since he was 5 years old. He went to Queensboro and Judson Elementary Schools, Lakeshore Junior High, and Fair Park High School where he was Vice-President of the Student Council.

He is married to Carol Liberto McDaniel. They have 4 children and 3 grandchildren.

Kelley's parents are the late T.P. and Hazel Kelley. T.P. Kelley was an FBI Agent for 36 years and Chief of the Shreveport Police Department for 5 years.

His first pet dog was Duffy, followed by Smokey, Fritz, Lolly, Bubba, and Boudreaux.